


Thin Ice

by fancyfanstuff



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Ice Skating, More Fluff, The guys just don't appear, Winter, they're wherever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-25 02:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17716109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fancyfanstuff/pseuds/fancyfanstuff
Summary: When Henry wants to learn how to ice skate, Regina is forced to ask Emma for help. (Which she hates.) Then, a series of other unforeseeable events happen and suddenly Regina stands on skates herself. (Which she is supposed to hate but somehow doesn't as it includes Emma's arm around her hips? She's confused.)Aka, the one where Regina overcomes several weaknesses and gains one new.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, it's me (duh, who else would it be?)  
> I'm back with another fic! Here are two warnings:  
> 1\. Fluff overload. I advise to read with your window wide open as to avoid suffocation.  
> 2\. Apparently I'm having a brackets phase (which means some thoughts are written in brackets, like this one). If you don't like that, I'm very sorry. It's only for this fic, the next one will be different again, I promise.
> 
> With that said, enjoy reading!

Be supportive of your children, they say. Be glad when they want to learn things, they say. Be glad when they come to you and ask, they say.

And yes, she is glad, so exaltedly glad, and totally supportive, said yes, of course I will teach you, yes, of course I can show you how to...

Skate. How do kids today even get the idea to go skating? Sure, the ice rink Elsa had magicked as a goodbye present when she left Storybrooke is new and maybe Regina should be relieved that Henry only wants to skate, not... do drugs or something equally stupid. 

Though then at least she'd be prepared. She read every book about parenting teenagers, puberty and youth culture there is to read the day Henry turned eleven and had his first "parents suck" phase (though in retrospective that turned out not to be a teenage tantrum after all but a serious hatred for her, that resulted in running off to find his birth mother and shunning Regina for almost two years). The point is: Regina, theoretically, knows how to handle almost everything Henry can possibly throw at her in the next five years, except for ice skating. 

Then again, when Henry came into the kitchen this afternoon, saying "Mom, I need your help" with the breaking voice he's had for some weeks now, Regina had anticipated far worse than "Teach me how to skate." Mentally, she had already prepared for killing at least five people, bribing the local police force and mixing several oblivion potions. 

Now she spends her evening googling and watching ice skate lessons on YouTube instead. Because she doesn't even know how to skate herself but she has promised to help Henry anyways because that's what supportive moms do. Everything for her little boy to belong to The Popular Ones and if it takes a sleepless night of speed-learning from the internet, then so be it.

(The Popular Ones probably includes girls but she forbids herself to ponder that too deeply. She is determined to be The Cool Mom for once, out-do Emma and her damned...)

Wait, Emma? 

Regina lifts her head, lips forming her infamous smirk when the idea hits her. Emma, who was so keen to be Henry's mother (and yes, the years of fighting and rivalry lie behind them and they are actually... friends or something alike, but Regina still enjoys teasing the blonde when she sees a chance), Emma needs to learn she can't just take the easy parts of being a mother and leave the hard tasks to Regina, Emma can fully well take over this job and teach Henry to skate.

So Regina reaches for her phone because it's Thursday and Emma has the night shift on Thursdays so she'll probably be glad about the distraction (not that Regina would hesitate to wake her up with a call at 1 pm if it was Emma's free day of course.)

Pressing 2 on her speed dial, Regina closes her browser window and waits impatiently for Emma to pick up.

When she does, it's with a cheery "Regina, how are things?" which is so pretentious as she literally just saw the mayor this afternoon and Regina will never see the point in meaningless smalltalk so she usually skips it.

"Miss Swan," she purrs, putting just enough menace in her voice to let Emma know she'll be in trouble if she doesn't follow Regina's order. She smirks when she hears Emma draw a sharp breath, teasing the saviour just never gets old.

"Oh god Regina, I'm sorry, really, I'll buy you a new one right when the shops open tomorrow, I swear," Emma bursts out and she sounds so distressed that Regina almost giggles (but she catches herself in time because queens do not giggle). Besides, Emma is missing the point, as usual.

"Miss Swan, what are you talking about?" Regina's words are carefully laced with annoyance, working hard to keep up the image of the proper and immaculate mayor who shakes her head at adorable idiots like Emma. (Emphasis on idiot, not adorable.)

Suspicion creeps into Emma's voice when she mutters: "Wait, this is not about the Lindt chocolate?" 

"Miss Swan, why would I call you in the middle of - what did you do to my Lindt chocolate?" Regina nearly knocks over her half empty cup of coffee as she jumps to her feet when Emma's words register with her.

"...nothing," Emma says, far too quickly, far too quietly, because Regina is already storming down the stairs and into the kitchen. She blames the overdose of caffeine for her violent reaction but nobody touches her Lindt chocolate scot-free.

She gasps when she sees the treacherous gold wrapper in the dustbin and when Emma takes this as her cue to rattle off excuses again, Regina assumes her best Evil-Queen-sneer and snarls: "I will destroy your happiness and if it's the last thing I do." 

Which makes Emma laugh.

"So, why did you call me again?" Emma asks after she has promised several times that she'll never ever eat Regina's chocolate again, even if she has a night shift ahead and no time to make dinner ("Because then the night shift will have to wait until you have eaten properly. The town needs a healthy sheriff." "The town seems to be pretty invested in me." "The town is primarily invested in keeping her Lindt chocolate.")

Regina clears her throat, having almost forgotten that there was indeed a purpose with her call. 

"See, Emma," she starts, making her way upstairs again while shifting the phone from one ear to the other.

"Emma?" Emma giggles and yes, she actually giggles and the sound of it shouldn't make Regina's stomach flutter (and it doesn't, of course). "Who are you and what did you do to Ms Mills?"

Regina snorts but her lips form a smile almost automatically: "Don't be ridiculous Miss Swan, I'm right here." And then, before Emma can bring in another joke, and before she can ponder too much how she actually asks Emma Swan for help (she hates asking for help, even if it includes annoying tasks like learning how to skate overnight), she adds: "There is something you have to do for Henry."

That sobers Emma up. "Henry? What's up with the kid?" She asks alarmedly.

Regina rolls her eyes: "Nothing is 'up' with him, I said you needed to do something for him." She takes a deep breath and says: "He wants to skate. I buy the shoes. You will teach him." because even now she can't bring it over herself to formulate her request as an actual question.

"Skate?" Emma says and Regina can practically see her furrowed brow, "You mean, as in ice skate?"

"Yes, as in ice skate Miss Swan. Your frosty friend left an ice rink and apparently Henry's classmates have chosen it as their preferred location to 'hangout' and now he wants to skate."

"Right..." Emma says slowly, "and you can't teach him yourself because...?"

"Because I am the mayor and have to meet obligations that do not include catching certain death on an ice rink," Regina snaps and she might be rude but there's no way she'll let Emma now that -

"You can't skate," Emma states and Regina's momentarily too stunned to deny it, which only serves to prove Emma right. "Seriously?" She laughs delightedly, "Regina Mills, glorious Queen, cunning Witch and impeccable Mayor, can't handle a bit of ice?"

"Of course I can 'handle' a bit of ice," Regina snaps, "I can melt it, shape it, conjure it up..." 

"But you can't skate," Emma interrupts and her face must be forming that shit-eating grin right now.

Regina huffs. A pause.

"No," she grudgingly admits and closes her laptop with a slam, not bothering to shut it down first. The device protests with a pathetic beep and Regina snarls at it, which only makes Emma laugh more.

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself," Regina mutters (and no, there's no smile creeping on her face too, and if there is then it's because Emma acts ridiculous and childish).

"I'm sorry Regina, but you just know how to cheer me up on a dreary Thursday night," Emma sighs and something warms up in Regina so she resists pointing out that it's actually Friday already and asks instead: "So can you come here tomorrow to pick Henry up?" 

"Sure, I'll be there at four maybe?"

"Don't be late," Regina says and if it comes out softer than intended, so what. It's not like Emma listens to her anyways.

"A good night to you too," Emma replies sarcastically but with a certain fondness and Regina hangs up before she can do something stupid like say 'Thank you for doing this for me'.

*

Although Friday is Henry's favourite school day of the week, course-wise as well as because of the obvious upside of having the weekend ahead, his eyes are tiny slits at 7 am and Regina almost gives in and allows him to have a cup of coffee (but she doesn't because he's fourteen and coffee stunts the growth). 

Regina clearing her throat makes him look up though and when she starts her sentence with "So about the skating...", a smile spreads on his face. It only grows wider while she's telling him about her evening and by the time she talks about calling Emma, it has turned into a enormous grin.

"So Emma will pick you up at four, or rather quarter past, knowing her," Regina concludes and Henry beams and throws his arms around her.

"Thanks Mom, you're the best," he grins and Regina smiles modestly and reminds him that it's Emma he should thank (though she does feel rather smug about the way Henry has lit up).

"I will," her son replies enthusiastically, before leaning in conspiratorally: "But I thank you for biting the bullet and asking her for help."

Regina rolls her eyes (and suppresses a laugh, her son simply knows her too well). "Henry, I didn't have to 'bite the bullet'. Not excelling at everything is human and therefore it is perfectly acceptable to seek assistance from others who have different talents."

Henry snorts in a way that is all nurture and no nature and pats Regina's head, "Keep practising Mom, one day you might deliver this speech convincingly." Then, before Regina can protest, he is out of the kitchen and has locked the bathroom door behind him.

*

Emma is fifteen minutes late. Regina wants to scowl, she really does but Emma's cheeks are rosy from the cold, her blonde curls spill out messily from under a stupid black hat that looks absolutely amazing and her fingers are icy as they accidently touch Regina's when she hands over two Lindt chocolates with a dazzling smile, and somehow she finds herself returning it. Though she's distinctly aware of the absurdity of standing in the open door, just smiling at Emma, Regina can't quite bring herself to break the glance just yet and Emma's eyes are sparkling and -

"I'm almost ready Ma," Henry calls from upstairs and Regina clears her throat and finally steps aside to let Emma in. The sheriff brushes by, bringing a rush of cold air with her and Regina shivers.

"It's cold out," she comments involuntarily and curses herself immediately when she realizes how stupid this must have sounded.

Emma throws her a look that screams "No shit" but she doesn't say it out loud, which Regina is grateful for. Instead, a sly smirk passes over her features as her stiff fingers struggle with the zipper on her coat. 

"Madam Mayor wouldn't know, working from home and all," Emma teases, rubbing her hands, "Leaving the peasants to slave away in the cold."

Regina rolls her eyes, "Says Princess Charming", and drags down the zipper for Emma as the blonde is obviously too incompetent to perform the simplest task. Emma's eyes widen a fracture and Regina is only noticing this because she's standing far too close all of a sudden and -

"I have to finish packing," Regina murmurs and turns to leave before the proximity to those sweet-smelling curls make her do something she will regret. "Do you need anything?" she just has the presence of mind to add before she makes her exit into the kitchen. 

"PB&J sandwiches would be nice," Emma calls after her (and Regina imagines a slight tremor in her voice but then Henry comes down and he's greeted with an enthusiastic "Hey kid, ready to kick some ass on the ice?" and she can't be sure anymore.)

"Hurry up Regina, we're leaving in five," Emma calls out literally two minutes later and Regina rolls her eyes but finishes screwing the cap on the thermos of tea she's prepared for Henry and leaves the kitchen.

"Here you go," she hands Emma the bottle and a bag with ham-and-cheese sandwiches (someone has to have an eye on Emma's nourishment, plus she won't let her corrupt their son). Henry carries his new deep blue skates and offers his cheek for Regina to press a kiss to it while subconsciously straightening his scarf in the progress. "Good luck," she says, to both Henry and Emma whose brow is furrowed.

"Wait, you won't come along?" Emma asks and bites her lip straight after, as if she didn't intend to say that out loud.

"Mom has some work to catch up on," Henry answers when Regina doesn't move to speak, her eyes fixed on Emma's face that falls for a split second before she plasters on a smile. 

"Well, your fault. You're missing out on great fun, am I right kid?" Emma bumps her shoulder with Henry who's almost as tall as her by now. Her tone is cheery but her eyes avoid Regina's, whose conscience twinges with guilt.

Before she can think about it further, she blurts out: "I will accompany you tomorrow." (And she does it for Henry of course, though the smile that blooms across Emma's features might just be worth the two changes in her schedule that this promise entails.)

"I almost thought you were chickening out," the blonde smirks, "But now it looks like I'm gonna know the true promise of the mayor's ass on the ice after all - literally."

"You wish," Regina snorts and rolls her eyes, "I bet I can outperform you even on skates."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains:  
> 1\. More fluff. You have been warned.  
> 2\. Adorkable Henry  
> 3\. Regina in full gay panic as always.
> 
> Enjoy!

_"You wish," Regina snorts and rolls her eyes, "I bet I can outperform you even on skates."_

*

She can't.

It turns out that on the ice, adorably clumsy Emma transforms into the picture of grace that her last name promises. Chin held high, she skates with wide strokes and Regina watches her, enthralled by the effortlessness of her moves as she glides across the smooth surface.

They aren't at the ice rink, which is full of Henry's classmates and he doesn't want them to see him stagger around on the ice (or at least that's what he told Regina yesterday after returning from a walk in the woods with Emma during which she had tried to teach him skating theoretically. Emma's suspect though is that he is ashamed of going to the rink with his mother because he apparently chose a path far away from the rink as soon as they had left the house). So today Henry used his puppy dog eyes on Regina to convince her that freezing over a whole lake just for the three of them is a totally appropriate waste of magic. Emma is thrilled of course, having more space to show off her skills properly. She races from one edge of the ice to the other, at times skating backwards and Regina frowns deeply to hide her smile.

"Miss Swan," she calls out and Emma comes to a halt in a rain of snow and ice. The sunlight is reflected in the crystals that have fastened in her golden curls and she's positively radiant as she mock-salutes to Regina who's pointing at Henry. The boy is sitting on a trunk near the lake, struggling to put on his skates with the thick gloves Regina made him wear. 

"Stop stalling kid and come here," Emma teases goodnaturedly and Henry looks up to stick out his tongue at first her and then Regina before he takes off the gloves for the minute it takes to lace up the shoes. He seems to contemplate to just leave them be but after receiving a stern look from his brunette mother, he puts them back on and stalks awkwardly through the snow until he reaches the ice where Emma's hands support him.

Although Henry's legs are weirdly x-shaped as he cautiously walks his first steps on the ice, he keeps his balance just fine and Regina is just starting to think that maybe she has overestimated Emma's performance - when Emma lets go of her son's arm for a split second and he promptly stumbles and falls. 

"Ma!" he immediately complains and for a moment he's just a child again, frowning at Emma like it's her fault that he can't skate.

"Sorry kid," the blonde replies and flashes a cheeky smile, "Thought you could at least stand on your own." 

"Very funny," Henry mutters just loudly enough that Regina can hear him from the trunk she's primly cleared from snow to sit on. He scrambles around, trying to regain footing, until Emma takes pity on him and reaches out her hand. 

"Come on now," she says and moans exaggeratedly as she practically lifts him on his feet. It's an impressive achievement considering Henry's latest growth spurt (this being an objective evaluation and not some childish fawning on Regina's part) and Regina's so busy wondering how someone eating only grilled cheese can at the same time be so well trained that she misses her son's second and third fall entirely.

"Stop letting go of me!" Henry's shouting interrupts her thoughts and she looks up to see her son lying on the ice mere metres away from the spot where he fell first while Emma is doubled over in an attempt to hide her laughter. 

"You can't just take your hands away the second I begin to totter," Henry repeats, now laughing too, weakly pushing against Emma's calf in what seems like a half-intended try to make her fall too.

"Then you'll have to stop wriggling about," Emma retorts and easily tiptoes out of Henry's reach, "I'm worried one of your haymakers might smash my handsome face."

"And I'm worried the repeated contact with the ice might smash my handsome bu- " 

"Henry," Regina calls out warningly, though barely able to contain her laughter at the bickering pair on the ice.

"- backside" Henry quickly finishes, throwing her a sheepish smile. Emma behind him grins widely though and winks at Regina. Her eyes are shining with happiness and her carefree laughter is catching and in a sudden rush of adventurousness Regina finds herself approaching the ice.

Emma whoops when Regina deliberately steps on the smooth surface and directs a burst of magic to her booted feet - the blonde's hopes are disappointed though when the purple smoke vanishes to reveal shiny spikes instead of skids.

"Miss Swan," Regina smirks, revelling in the full attention of her son and his mother as she makes her steady way over the lake until she reaches them, "I think your pedagogy has failed, though your practical skills are satisfactory. I therefore offer to resume the theoretical side of Henry's training."

Emma gawps at her but Henry bursts into laughter. 

"She wants to be our coach Ma," he translates when several seconds have passed and Emma still hasn't moved to reply. Regina slowly lifts an eyebrow at the blonde's continued gawking and purses her lips. Emma blinks.

"Did you just call my supreme skating satisfactory?" 

*

Regina sighs softly when the hot water of her shower hits the cramped muscles in her neck and trickles down over her back. She turns her face into the stream and rinses her hair, relishing in the way the warmth returns to her body. Four hours have they spent at the lake, four hours of Emma and Regina each holding one of Henry's arms, Regina lecturing about the way his feet are supposed to stand, how he has to bend over slightly to avoid falling on his back, how he should try moving without lifting his feet first, one foot, then the other, left, right, left, right.

Henry had made progress though, at the end of the day holding on to Regina didn't work anymore because she was too slow on her snowshoes. And despite the countless times he fell, he kept standing up again, with help at first but he quickly adapted a technique Regina explained to him, quite the eligible coach thanks to her excessive internet research from two nights ago.

Of course, all the reading wouldn't have helped a bit if Emma hadn't been there to demonstrate it all, happy to show off after she had coaxed the admission out of Regina that she was indeed a most skilled skater. 

Regina smiles to herself as she turns the water just a tiny bit hotter still and starts soaping her body. She feels oddly satisfied with how the day has turned out, happy even. And if she's completely honest, she does look forward to tomorrow's session somehow.

*

The doorbell rings when Regina has just started warming up milk for a hot cocoa. Calculating quickly that it won't cook for another couple of minutes, Regina leaves the kitchen and opens the door to reveal a panting Emma Swan.

"Look at the clock!" The blonde says instead of a greeting and collapses against the door frame with a wide grin. 

Regina purses her lips but obeys. "2 pm," she states then looks at Emma with a raised eyebrow, "Congratulations, you are actually on time. Have you been sprinting here?" 

Emma nods and beams though her chest is still heaving and Regina can't suppress a smile in return: "Well, due to the unexpectedness of this, Henry and I are not quite ready yet. I don't suppose you mind a hot cocoa before we leave though?" 

At once, Emma perks up. "Nah, I can have one," she replies in an overly casual tone and laughs when Regina rolls her eyes. "Oh come on Madam Mayor, what do you expect me to say?" 

"How about 'Thank you'," Regina says and pretends to be offended when Emma sticks out her tongue, "Today's youth has no manners." 

"Now you sound just like Granny," Emma retorts and grins when Regina's eyes narrow.

"You skate on thin ice there, Miss Swan," she murmurs and god, when did the space between them become so small?

"Yeah, but you know, I'm a pro at that," Emma all but whispers and Regina can actually feel the other woman's breath on her skin and still she slowly moves closer and Emma's eyes dart to her lips and - 

"Mom! The milk is burning!" Henry's alarmed voice makes her jerk back, away from Emma who blinks startledly, and her heart is racing and so she says the first thing that comes to her mind before she makes her exit: "No cocoa after all then." 

Back in the refuge of her kitchen, Regina leans on the door, pressing it shut with a quiet click and releasing the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She forces herself to focus on Henry who's taken the pot with milk off the stove and is currently trying to clean the spilled liquid on the hot plate. Her mother instincts set in (despite the fact that her thoughts keep wandering to a certain blonde) and she almost mechanically moves through the kitchen, pulling the window open, taking the sponge from Henry while thanking him for his alertness and at the same time apologizing for her own failure. Her son brushes it off.

"Everybody burns milk sometimes," he assures her, though his eyes linger on her face for just a split second longer than usually and Regina turns away under the pretence of scrubbing the pot because she feels her cheeks grow hot. She doesn't blush. Just like she doesn't burn milk. (And damn, why is she thinking of green eyes again? Did they really watch her lips or did she imagine that? And why does she care and why is she blushing and why - )

"Can I help you with something?" A working-too-hard-to-sound-casual voice comes from the doorway and both Regina and Henry whirl around to stare incredulously at Emma. Emma doesn't help in the kitchen. Not voluntarily. (Not since she had tried to use her magic to chop vegetables and had ended up chopping everything in the room, including a strand of Regina's hair. The mayor had furiously banished her from ever entering the kitchen again, a ban she had lifted a week later after Emma had copiously apologized and paid for Regina's new haircut which admittedly looked better than before. Not that she had ever told Emma, of course.)

"Ma!" Henry says and his probing eyes are on Regina again, but then he just says, "You're early."

"Actually, I'm merely on time," Emma grins but her look meets Regina's, whose own uncertainty dissolves when she detects Emma's slight nervousness. 

"And helping too, this day is just full of surprises," Regina smiles and it is beautiful how Emma immediately answers with a smirk on her own.

"Somebody has to take care of the cocoa, and as you are apparently incapable..."

And Regina is wrecking her brain for a witty reply when Henry laughs: "And there you go, losing the plus points again." His eyes are on Emma now, who tries her best to look contrite but can't stop smiling and Regina is too distracted by her radiance to worry about the delighted grin that passes over her son's features.

*

They arrive at the lake later than originally planned, mainly due to Emma discovering the apple pie in the fridge when looking for new milk. Of course Henry had immediately sided with her in the naturally following discussion and as it's Sunday after all and they need the extra calories to prevent freezing off their asses (Emma's exact words, accompanied by a stern glance from Regina and a giggle from Henry), Regina had finally relented.

It's now 4 pm and already starting to grow dark but Henry is determined and Emma waves it off: "Cover from unwanted spectators." 

At this, Henry glances up alarmedly and Emma stumbles into Regina because she laughs so hard.

"Stop harassing my son, Miss Swan," Regina growls, working hard to ignore the soft feeling of Emma's curls against her cheek and the way they smell far too flowery to fit in the snow-clad atmosphere. 

"Actually," Emma smiles a brilliant smile when she's calmed down again, "I'm harassing you." And with that said, she waves her hands and in a golden burst of magic, Regina's boots change form. 

Regina is positively rendered speechless, if only for a second. Then "No way!", it's her turn to produce violet smoke that turns the, admittedly beautiful, skates back into her normal shoes. 

Emma frowns: "You know, when you said you'd come to the lake with us, I was assuming you meant to actually skate, not just walk over the ice with spikes." And she directs her swirling magic at Regina's feet again. This time the skates are less artistically designed and sport holes and scratches. It's a perfect example of decreasing attention while performing magic, a problem Emma has always had, nevermind how many times Regina told her to focus properly.

"Well," Regina replies, getting rid of the skids in a rush, "In this case you will be disappointed because I have no intentions at all to break my neck today." 

"Regina," Emma whines and it almost makes Regina laugh because now she knows where Henry got that attitude from. Emma's hands move again but no golden stream is ejected this time and the blonde frowns at her fingers, then tries again. Nothing.

"What did I tell you about self control?" Regina can't resist teasing, immediately becoming the target of Emma's glare. "Oh dear," she sighs, giving her most victorious smirk as she pats Emma's arm, "I suppose that means I win this round."

"Traitorous bitches," Emma murmurs at her clenched fists and "Language Miss Swan," is what Regina chirps before making her exit to look after Henry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter will get angsty.
> 
> Kidding! It's fluff.
> 
> Enjoy!

_"Traitorous bitches," Emma murmurs at her clenched fists and "Language Miss Swan," is what Regina chirps before making her exit to look after Henry. ___

*

__Emma tries transforming Regina's shoes twice more this evening. The first time she actually does a good job and for several seconds Regina's feet are once again engulfed in delicate white skates before she waves her hand and they disappear._ _

__The second time, Regina is prepared and conjures up a shield that redirects the magic back at Emma, whose skates grow an extra pair of skids on top of the other ones. Emma is immediately thrown off balance and gets, for the first time, sent to the ground herself. Henry, who's at the opposite end of the lake, practising on his own, bursts out laughing and Regina allows herself to grin widely. (She also allows her eyes to travel briefly over Emma's backside when the blonde stands up again - to assess the damage she's caused.)_ _

__"You have snow on the back of your trousers," she informs the blonde, which earns her another glare._ _

__"At least I actually skate," Emma shoots back, still a bit wobbly on her feet, but Regina has to admit that she's surprised that Emma adapted to the altered skates so quickly._ _

__"Also, you actually have a wet rear," Regina points out, feeling the familiar excitement rise that the verbal exchange with Emma always brings._ _

__"What, afraid of a little snow?" Emma is grinning now._ _

__"Indeed I don't particularly like snow," Regina says innocently and Emma cocks her head in confusion, before understanding washes over her face._ _

__"Very funny Regina, very funny," she says dryly and Regina giggles rather un-queenly._ _

__"But for real now," Emma takes up the topic again after they have just stood there for a while, watching Henry as he's slowly making his way over the ice, "Why don't you want to skate?"_ _

__Her tone is serious and so Regina takes the time to really think about it. It's not that she doesn't want to skate, she finds. In a way the smooth movements, the wide strokes that make the skaters seem like they were floating, do have a certain appeal to Regina. Sure, she isn't exactly fond of the cold, but she's spent so many hours out here by now, she feels like she can't use that excuse any longer either. Really, there is only one thing that keeps her back from trying, and it is the least noble one. Regina sighs._ _

__"I can't skate and I dislike failing," she admits quietly, already bracing herself for the mockery that is sure to come._ _

__To her surprise, Emma stays silent. Too silent in fact. After a minute, Regina risks a subtle sideways glance and finds Emma watching her with a soft expression in her eyes._ _

__"Where did you get that idea from?" The blonde asks when Regina is just moving to look away again, embarrassed, almost ashamed, afraid Emma might see her inner coward if she locks eyes with her for too long._ _

__Now she starts, thrown off by the question that is so unexpected, seemingly not connected to her admission at all._ _

__"What idea?" She replies rather dumbly, immediately cursing herself, then again when she realizes how nervous she is about having this conversation with Emma Swan. Regina delivers an internal slap to her own backhead and deliberately averts her gaze to watch Henry tripping but catching himself before he falls._ _

__"The idea," Emma says quietly, the sound of the tip of her skate scratching at the ice almost louder than her voice, "That perfection is the only acceptable way to do anything."_ _

__Regina takes a second to let that settle. She's glad now that she doesn't have to look into Emma's eyes anymore, glad about that thin barrier between them that stops those questions from being too overwhelming. She wouldn't be able to open up to the saviour, not after decades of building walls and putting up guards, if she were trapped in the green ponds of Emma's eyes. She suspects that Emma feels the same since she can't sense the burning sensation of a gaze on the back of her head. (They are two of a kind, Regina thinks, finding this conclusion to be oddly comforting.)_ _

__"My mother, probably," she finally answers and waits for Emma to draw in a sharp breath at this brutal honesty but it never comes._ _

__"Figured," is the reply instead, uttered in a tone so venomous it raises in Regina the automatic need to defend Cora._ _

__"She wanted me to achieve something in life," she says, wincing at how unconvincing she sounds, yet still feeling her temper flare when Emma laughs, short and hard, "Yeah, right."_ _

__"Well, she did make me who I am today," she states, her voice colder than she expected._ _

__"No, she didn't," Emma argues back hotly, "She made you the Evil Queen. Then she left and you had all the trouble."_ _

__"She didn't leave voluntarily," Regina hisses, the familiar pang of guilt running through her as she remembers pushing her own mother through the looking glass. "And I don't understand why you care so much, seeing as you weren't even born at the time."_ _

__"I care because you care," Emma bites out and for a moment she doesn't make sense but then she clarifies, "She apparently still has an effect on you today and this is in turn affecting me!"_ _

__"Because now you have to go skating all alone? Is it that?" Regina assumes her most patronozing tone, knowing it will drive Emma crazy, "Are you sad you cannot win over me for once, because I'm not even competing with you in the one discipline you actually have a talent for?"_ _

__"Jeez Regina," Emma groans, "How can you even miss a fucking point so much?"_ _

__Her swearing is what tips Regina over the edge and her voice grows icy._ _

__"I missed the point, Miss Swan?" She says, quietly and deadly, "Alas, enlighten me."_ _

__Emma is so heated up, she doesn't even notice the change in temperature. She's flailing her arms, her eyes flashing and for a second, a part of Regina thinks her beautiful in her agitation. (That part is quietened quickly though because they are in the middle of an argument here and Regina needs her energy for glaring.)_ _

__"Regina, this is not about me and my preferences in skating," Emma says, sounding exasperated, "This is about you."_ _

__That catches Regina off guard, throws her off the lane to victory she was so surely striding down._ _

__"Me?" She asks, still icily but also confused._ _

__"Of course you," Emma almost yells and Regina can see Henry throwing them a concerned look. She waves him off and turns to shush Emma._ _

__"You know what I just can't understand," Emma asks, so on a roll now that she doesn't even register Regina, "You're the most intelligent, beautiful and talented person in the whole town. Yet at the same time you're the most insecure. It doesn't match up, right? Yeah, you see, I blame Cora for that, for making you constantly feel like you're still not good enough. But I tell you what, in my mind, the only thing that makes you less perfect is your refusal to try something new for once and just have fun!"_ _

__"And that," she adds before Regina can interrupt (which is good because the brunette would have blurted out 'You think I'm perfect?', which Emma has never said and which also is totally beside the point), "That doesn't have to be ice skating. We can also go skiing or snowboarding or try fucking bobsledding!"_ _

__A pause._ _

__"Though in that case we'd have to find a bob run somewhere else 'cause there's none in Storybooke."_ _

__Another pause. Emma is such an idiot and Regina feels her anger melt away like ice cream on a hot summer day while the corners of her mouth slowly turn up at their own account._ _

__"You get my point though," Emma ends rather weakly, grinning as well._ _

__"I think I do," Regina says thoughtfully, a smirk blooming on her face, "You think I'm the most intelligent, beautiful and talented person in town. And you'd like to take me on a date to a bob run."_ _

__It's said teasingly, making sure that Emma picks up that she's only joking, yet the blonde's cheeks flush with colour at Regina's words._ _

__"You know, those were only arguments to support my thesis, which is - "_ _

__"I am perfect," Regina chimes in and sighs dramatically, "Oh, I know."_ _

__"That's not what I said," Emma protests, her denial drowning in the sound of Regina's rich laughter. It feels wonderfully freeing to laugh, Regina notices. It's like a hard knot inside of her has finally loosened and now she can breathe in enough of the cold winter air to tickle her from the inside._ _

__Emma looks at her in confusion but apparently Regina's laughter is more catching than she would have thought and before long, they are both bending over._ _

__"Okay, maybe I did say that you're kind of a bit perfect," Emma says quietly after a while, the smile still in her voice, warming it. "It was tied to a condition though."_ _

__Regina smiles too and feels the warmth seeping from where Emma's hand is touching her arm lightly directly into her heart._ _

__"I know," she replies, " And I think I will go for skating after all. I will need time though."_ _

__"No problem," Emma smiles, "the winter is still long."_ _

__"Henry is our priority though," Regina feels inclined to stress, "He shall learn to skate before I do."_ _

__Emma nods. "Of course. We continue Henry's sessions just like we used to. He's getting better quickly though so we'll be able to focus more and more on you anyways."_ _

__"We?" Regina's eyebrow lifts in a sceptical arc, though a bubbling excitement settles in her stomach._ _

__A brief uncertainty rushes over Emma's expression before the blonde recognizes the humorous glint in Regina's eyes. Then she shrugs in demonstrative nonchalance: "Assuming you'd want an exceptionally skillfull teacher who knows how the wind blows."_ _

__Regina smirks, "Oh, I don't know. Someone told me recently I was the most talented person in town so I might not need a teacher..."_ _

__Immediately Emma's complexion darkens. "Thin ice Regina, thin ice."_ _

__"And I thought you were good with that..."_ _

__*_ _

__Later at night when Henry and Regina are having dinner, he clears his throat and asks: "You and Ma are getting along quite well, right?"_ _

__It's past ten already and Regina is in a bit of a hurry to get him tucked in, while the teen doesn't seem to care that he has school tomorrow and really ought to get some sleep.  
Her attention on the clock, she answers "Of course we do," rather distractedly. Maybe the bath hadn't been the best idea, she thinks, but Henry's teeth had been shattering when they returned from the lake, plus she would have needed the time anyways to prepare dinner. _ _

__"Yeah, I mean, better than before, right? Before, you were always fighting but now you're... closer."_ _

__There's an underlying urgency to Henry's questions, a pressing for Regina to affirm just so he can ask the next one. He seems to be going somewhere with this and Regina finally turns to face him._ _

__"Is this about what you saw today?" She asks and sees Henry's eyes widen a bit, telling her everything she needs to know._ _

__"Oh Henry," sighing, Regina shakes her head, "You don't have to worry about that. We had a minor misunderstanding there, Emma and I, but because you are right and we are closer, we figured it out."_ _

__"Misunderstanding?" Henry interrupts, the same crease of confusion appearing on his brow that Emma sports so often._ _

__Regina mirrors his expression and cocks her head: "Well yes. She told me something I didn't want but apparently needed to hear. As I said, we figured it out. Emma can be quite... convincing." She smiles and glances at the clock again. "It's really time you get in bed. Finish your salad please, then you can go upstairs. You don't have to help me clean the kitchen today."_ _

__Henry obediently forks the last pieces of lettuce on his plate, shaking his head with an amused expression. "That's not what I meant, you know," he says between two bites, "But I got my answer anyways."_ _

__Bowing her head in acknowledgement, Regina stands and starts clearing the table. Henry's questions made her remember Emma's promise again, the spark in her green eyes, the lingering touch on Regina's arm, and she smiles slightly into the dishwasher._ _

__"I love you Mom," Henry grins, almost catching Regina off guard as he presses a kiss to her cheek, mischief dancing in his eyes like it does in Emma's sometimes._ _

__"And I love you," Regina calls after him, half-wondering about her son's strange behaviour before her thoughts stray again. She'll have a look at skates tonight, she decides, magic clothing tends to be rather unstable after all._ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week, I actually ... forgot. There's a lot going on in my life right now, so please, bear with me.  
> Anyways, this chapter hopefully makes it up to you, as it FINALLY features Regina on skates! As always, there's fluff to come.  
> Enjoy!

_She'll have a look at skates tonight, she decides, magic clothing tends to be rather unstable after all._

*

Regina has to wait longer than she would have wished to test her new shiny black skates. They stand in the corner of her room, catching her eyes every time she enters, making her grow restless and impatient.

But she doesn't go to the lake the next day, not on Tuesday either. First Henry is too busy with homework, then it's Emma's night shift. Regina frowns and hides the skates in a bag, surprised how much she misses the ice and the wintery forest. 

Then again, she might just miss Emma. They had only briefly said hello on Monday's town council meeting and afterwards David had dragged Emma away to show her the new snowplough the town had financed so that Regina had no other way than cancelling Emma via text. The short answer of ':(' had left her feeling vaguely disappointed but she isn't one to have meaningless text conversations so she resisted answering.

On Wednesday afternoon at 3.05 pm, because Emma can't be on time twice in a row, Regina opens the door before Emma has even knocked. She has heard the unmistakable stutter of the bug's engine from the living room (not because she was actively listening for it or anything) and, in an unusual burst of childishness that did surprise herself, decided to beat Emma to the door. And although Henry throws her an incredulous look from where he's peeping around the corner to see what has caused the sudden bustle, the open-mouthed figure with a hand extended towards the bell that is Emma Swan is totally worth it.

"Do come in, Miss Swan," Regina says cheerfully after several seconds during which Emma has just blinked dumbly at her. She is in an outrageously good mood all of a sudden (and trying hard not to think of the reasons for that) and maybe Emma is right in eyeing her suspiciously but it still makes Regina snap: "Oh, come in now, will you?"

Emma laughs a bit. "That sounds more like you. Sorry, I couldn't find you under all that niceness."

Henry's snort can be heard although he has already disappeared into the living room again and Regina frowns but when Emma's eyes twinkle in that special way that seems to be reserved for teasing Regina only, she can't help but smile.

"You are an idiot," she tells Emma but her voice is way gentler than she allowed it to be and for a split second she feels awfully vulnerable but then Emma's eyes soften too and it's okay.

They have non-burned cocoa in the kitchen and Emma tells from her day and Henry from his and Regina sits between them and allows herself to have several pieces of Lindt chocolate. 

And then they go skate.

Regina, annoyingly nervous all of a sudden, decides not to put on her skates immediately, wanting to 'reacquaint herself with the ice' first. (In fact, she leaves the bag at home. She remembered that she hasn't even told Henry about her decision yet and feels like she owes him a bit of an explanation before she joins him on the ice. She's planning on magicking her skates to the lake later on.) Emma lifts her eyebrows but doesn't object. Regina throws her a grateful smile for that. 

Just like on the weekend, she then starts walking to and fro on the ice to give Henry advice while Emma pirouettes around her, every now and then grazing Regina's coat or touching her arm for the briefest moment. She is not much of a help in teaching really, but she is so happy and Henry seems to be fine with oral instructions only, so Regina doesn't point it out. (Besides, she feels this exhilarated flutter in her chest every time Emma throws her a radiant smile, and she doesn't want that to stop either, so...)

And maybe she is too generous with her smiles in return because "Hey, Regina," Emma calls from behind her, her voice featuring a mischievous tint and Regina should know better than to fall for this. But her defences are low today and so she doesn't think about it further and turns around expectantly just in time to get hit in the face by a load of snow. 

She sputters. Coughs. Lifts her hand slowly, very slowly, and wipes the slush from her cheeks and eyes. Locates Emma who's flaunting a shit-eating grin as she carefully rubs her hands to get rid of the remaining tell-tale snow on her gloves. 

Regina's eyes narrow, her hand executes an smooth gesture, the familiar tingle of magic runs through her fingers and the snow masses that covered the trees around them lift simultaneously as the corners of Emma's mouth drop.

"Shit," she whispers and Regina revels in the flicker of panic that crosses those usually so cocky features. 

"Did you just hit me with a snow ball Miss Swan," she says dangerously low and, when Emma doesn't answer immediately, twitches her little finger to cause part of the snow body that is forming behind her to fall to the ground with a satisfying thump. 

Emma actually jumps and Regina's lips curl in a smirk. She likes that trapped expression in Emma's eyes, how they dart around in a hopeless attempt to find a way out of her situation, how she chews frantically on her lower lip, how her hand opens and closes around thin air. It lights a fire in the pit of Regina's stomach, a burning desire she's careful to keep at bay, because once let loose, she has no idea how far it would make her go.

"Snow ball? What snow ball?" Emma finally springs into action with an abashed little laugh and Regina loves her for saying this because it allows her to step closer while splitting the snow in a million of regular sized balls.

"Oh you know," she all but purrs and the sight of Emma's eyes darkening a tad almost makes her lose control over the growing fire in her abdomen, "One that looked just like these, except it was in my face."

Emma swallows thickly, her eyes dart to Regina's lips, this time she is sure of it, and it only widens the smug grin she's sporting. 

"I wanted to hit Henry," Emma whispers hoarsely, her voice lifting in the end which makes the sentence come out like a question and Regina steps closer still until she is only inches away from the delicate flush that is spreading over Emma's cheeks.

"Oh did you now?" She murmurs and extends a finger to lift Emma's chin. Green eyes bore into hers and there's a fire in them that tells her that if she were to kiss Emma now, she would not be rejected. Still she holds back, partly because the flame inside of her is already licking at its bounds, partly because despite everything she thinks to see in Emma's expression now, she is still desperately afraid of future consequences. 

Emma sighs quietly when Regina's lips move past her cheek and to her ear and the sound almost makes Regina change her mind but it's too late and so she contents herself with inhaling Emma's sweet scent while whispering: "Luckily for you, I am above a snow ball fight. You would do well to believe me though when I tell you that I will win in case you decide to start one."

*

It's almost an hour later, Regina just having conjured up a fireball to warm her numb fingers, that Emma approaches her from behind. Upon the scraping sound of metal on ice coming closer, a smile tugs at Regina's lips automatically. She bites down on the lower in an attempt to maintain a neutral expression, but gives it up quickly and turns around.

Emma chuckles at the sight of the fireball. "That's cool. Can I have one too?" The blonde's hands appear to be drawn into her sleeves, the unfilled black gloves hanging lifeless from the armholes.

Regina lifts her eyebrow, noticing how Emma's eyes follow the motion. Her earlier performance has left marks it seems, Emma having been fidgety ever since, keeping a certain distance to Regina yet watching her from across the lake. Regina wonders if Emma's behaviour is a good sign, if the blonde is nervous about Regina in the same way Regina is nervous about her (which is, not at all), or whether she's just feeling uncomfortable because Regina has crossed a line. 

In any case, Emma's eyes are on her now, expectant, still waiting for a response. Regina clears her throat, feeling her cheeks warm slightly as she realizes she's been staring.

"Don't you have magic yourself?" She grumbles, annoyed with herself for acting like a crushing teenager. Still she waves her hand and presents Emma with a red-glowing sphere.

"Thank you, master enchantress," comes the sarcastic reply, though a delighted smile spreads over Emma's features as she wriggles her fingers back into her gloves to hold the floating object. She sighs contentedly, then smirks at Regina: "You'd better taken good care of me, after all you need me intact and warm for teaching later." 

She looks like she's about to say something else but Regina quickly shushes her, spotting Henry making his way towards them. 

Emma narrows her eyes. "What's with the kid?" she whispers and Regina feels a pang of guilt.

"I may not have told him about it yet," she admits quietly, throwing Emma a contrite look then straightens up to welcome her son with a loud "You're doing great!"

Henry beams, trying to come to a halt like Emma usually does, by turning both his skates to the side at the same time, but he fails utterly and almost runs into Regina's fireball.

"Braking is still hard," he mumbles, pulling a face. "What are you guys doing?"

"Warming up," Emma grins, "Your mom is so outrageously kind to hand out fireballs, you want one?"

"Duh," Henry replies, already greedily extending his hands towards the heat, "It's freezing today. I don't think I'll last much longer."

Regina feels Emma's eyes on her as she hands over her ball and procures a new one for herself. The fire makes for a cozy atmosphere, the three of them huddled closely together shielding it from the icy wind.

"We can go home whenever you feel for it," she tells Henry, hyper aware of the disappointment radiating off Emma. To be honest, she feels a bit disheartened herself and curses her nervousness that prevented her from telling Henry earlier. Now it's too late.

"Or actually," Emma suddenly speaks up, in her working-too-hard-to-sound-casual voice, "Can you imagine going ahead already and we maybe... follow later?"

Regina's brow creases in confusion and she can't understand how that would help matters - until she realizes that the question isn't directed at her but at Henry. 

The boy seems to catch on concurrently but unlike Regina, who sees the point in Emma's question, and whose heart is already beating faster at the prospect of getting to skate after all, and alone with Emma too, (not that this would add to her excitement), he is even more bewildered by this information.

"You want to stay out here alone?" He asks, his gaze flickering from Emma to Regina, who feels herself go warm immediately. She hopes that Henry will interpret her reddening cheeks as a reaction to the cold air and tries to appear casual as she shrugs. 

Henry's eyes narrow. For a second, he looks directly at where the blush colours Regina's skin and she is sure he is able to see right through her, but then he averts his glance.

"Sure," he says and Emma and Regina exchange a surprised look at the lack of questions. "I can also prepare dinner, then you can stay out even longer."

"Henry!" Regina says, astonished yet definitely delighted, "That won't be necessary I think."

Her son smiles so whimsically it's almost suspicious and shrugs, "Your choice. Have fun without me." And he hands back the fireball and turns to leave.

"You are an angel. Get home safely," Regina presses a kiss to his cheek while Emma ruffles his hair, "See ya later kid."

They watch until Henry has crossed the lake and disappeared into the forest. Emma turns towards Regina, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, that went unexpectedly well..."

Regina nods, her thoughts elsewhere, pondering the conversation she had with her son on Sunday. The same gleam had shown in Henry's eyes then, the same faint trace of mischief and delight.

"He has been acting strange lately," she admits and frowns. Something must be off, she thinks, and yet her sixth sense, usually so perceptive for all things Henry-concerned, isn't pinging or anything.

Emma's hands reaches for her arm, briefly brushing it in a soothing manner. "He is thirteen after all," she says, "It might be puberty-related for all I know."

Regina hums but isn't entirely convinced. There is not much use in overthinking it now though, and so she finally turns away from the forest and faces Emma, whose lips lift into a smile almost immediately.

"Now we might as well use the time I've gotten us," she grins, "Come on, where are your skates?"

Regina's heart rate picks up until it's almost uncomfortably fast but she waves her hands obediently nevertheless, replacing the fireballs in her hands with shiny skates. Emma whistles at the sight of the brand-new shoes and strokes over the leathery material in awe. 

To hide the shy smile creeping on her face, Regina frowns; "I can't believe you sent our son away, just like this. No wonder he is behaving differently."

Emma tips her head back and laughs. "Stop complaining," she tells Regina, "I did it for you and your stupid pride, you should thank me."

"I don't know what you mean," Regina mutters though the traitorous blush creeps up in her cheeks again. It's concerning really, the effect Emma's easily given attentions have on her. She looks at the skates in her hands in order to avoid meeting Emma's peering eyes, and asks herself how she is supposed to get them on her feet. Should she sit down on a trunk like Henry did and then endure the awkward walk through the snow until she reaches the ice, or should she just magic them on and risk an immediate fall? How is she supposed to hold the balance once she's well standing? And when she's moving? Her nerves slowly but surely start to coil in a hot aching bundle in the pit of her stomach and she actually thinks she might throw up. (Which is ridiculous, what is the worst that can happen to her on skates? Unfortunately, Regina is past reason at this point.)

And suddenly there's Emma's arm around her waist, wordlessly offered in a tentative, almost shy way, not really holding on to her but hanging loosely in place, either for her to accept or discard. 

Regina freezes for just a second, playing with the thought of ignoring the help. Then Emma's voice echoes through her head, 'you and your stupid pride' and, in a last desperate attempt to regain control of the situation, she decides there's also a certain dignity in proving the blonde wrong by skipping her pride for once, and she takes Emma's hand. 

The grip around her tightens immediately and then Emma is so close, Regina can hear her exhale softly. Her heartbeat slows a bit as she is taking comfort in the steadiness that Emma provides. She takes a deep breath. She can do this.

"And now the skates," Emma urges quietly, waiting until Regina has performed the magic before taking her other now free hand as well. 

Regina has her eyes squeezed shut while she feels her shoes change around her feet. Her stomach lurches when she suddenly has the sensation of falling and her eyes snap open in horror, only to find that she's still standing safely, gripping on to Emma who seems smaller somehow. It takes Regina a moment to understand that she herself has simply grown, the skids adding a few centimetres to her usually rather short height.

Emma smiles at her and adjusts her arm slightly, the synthetic fibre of her coat rustling. "First step done, several more to go. Okay, try to move one foot now."

In a sudden rush of exuberance about the successful start, Regina wants to roll her eyes at the blonde. She only refrains because she feels that Emma wouldn't deserve it as a reaction to her kindness. But when she tentatively slides her right foot forward and promptly slips and would have fallen if not for Emma's strong arms, she is glad to have controlled herself for entirely different and far more selfish reasons.

Releasing a puff of air that she didn't realize she's been holding, Regina brings her skates in a parallel position again and loosenes the tight grip she's had around Emma's fingers. She doesn't say a word and neither does Emma when she tries again.

Once more she experiences a split second of falling before Emma catches her. The third attempt ends equally poorly. 

Although Emma doesn't laugh, keeps in fact a perfectly straight face, Regina feels ridiculed, being put to her feet over and over again like a toddler learning to walk. Annoyance is rising in her throat, paired with impatience and defiance, the very combination she remembers experiencing a lot in her Evil Queen days. In many ways, the Queen had been acting like a petulant child, and Regina has sworn herself she would never let herself be ruled by emotions again. She swallows hard, sets her jaw and tries again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so since I botched two weeks ago, you get an extra long chapter today. As always there's plenty of fluff, but things are slowly but surely getting serious here, so enjoy!

_Regina swallows hard, sets her jaw and tries again._

*

Ten minutes later she has on the one hand managed to skate a few strokes at a stretch without really falling once (an achievement greatly due to Emma's unceasing and gratefully silent support), on the other hand Regina's patience is running dangerously low and her lips are almost bitten bloody from concentration. 

Fortunately, Emma seems to sense the upcoming trouble because when Regina scrambles to set her feet right the next time, she speaks up for the first time since they started. Her voice is chipper when she asks "Hey, you wanna try something else for a moment?" and Regina briefly suspects the blonde to be fooling her but even if that were the case, she's far too relieved about the offer to decline. 

Nonetheless she stays guarded as she replies: "That depends on what proposition you make." Her voice is as cool and smooth as ever, not betraying her emotions about finally having a chance to abandon this futile scrambling. Emma still shoots her a knowing look which Regina acknowledges with an eyeroll. It should be forbidden for people to be able to read her so well.

"I thought you could try to skate on your own?" Emma says and Regina's head snaps up.

"What?" She almost shouts, eyeing the blonde incredulously. Emma bursts out in laughter and Regina finally understands, far too late, that she's fallen victim to a joke. She briefly considers playing it off ("I cannot believe your jests have dropped to this level") but her reaction was way too violent to render the explanation believable and she lets out a huff of annoyance.

"You are cruel," she finally states with as much dignity as she can muster with her heart still racing and her legs nearly giving way. Emma bending over with laughter puts the both of them in a dangerous position, the grip around Regina's waist so loose, she can practically see herself slipping the moment she tries to move, and so she just stands there, frozen in place, while Emma is shaking.

And then it happens. Emma is just straightening up again, gasping for air, when a gust of wind surprises her and sweeps her neatly off her feet. It seems to happen in slow motion, the way her one leg lifts like in those comic strips where people slip on a banana peel. Her expression changes from crunched up to a perfect 'o', and Regina would have smirked gleefully if Emma hadn't knocked her down too.

So instead of laughter, a screeched "Miss Swan!" escapes her lips as she falls for real this time. She has barely time to prepare for the painful contact with the ice, but then, it never comes. Instead, she's landing on something soft and sagging that releases an "Oomph" at the impact. It is Emma Swan's abdomen. And it starts wobbling under her as Emma laughs again almost immediately.

"Seriously, Miss Swan?" Regina's voice is carefully laced with annoyance, as she tries to scramble off Emma. Her skids keep slipping, sending her down over and over again, and her cheeks colour increasingly. She had imagined the first close physical contact with Emma's body to go entirely differently. (And no, she did not just think that.)

Emma is still shaking and Regina very nearly falls off her and on the cold ice, but she manages to claw her fingers in Emma's sides at the last moment and keep her balance.

Emma shrieks and buckles under her and again, Regina's almost sent flying. She stabilizes herself against Emma's shoulder and is positively beet red at the new position she finds herself in, bending over Emma, her lips only inches away from the blonde's. Despite her embarrassment, or maybe even to cover it up (her brain is a hot mess, she doesn't even know herself anymore), she scowls.

"Will you stop wriggling," hissing, Regina tries to straighten up again but Emma just won't stay still. "Emma!" Their noses are almost bumping and Regina's all too aware of the sweet scent of Emma's curls and the tiny snowflakes fastened in Emma's eyelashes and the evertempting line of Emma's lips, though presently interrupted by her front teeth biting down on the lower. She looks utterly beautiful and Regina is so lost in her observation that she at first fails to notice that the blonde has indeed stopped moving and is also breathing very shallowly.

In sudden alarm, (and also because she really needs to touch her right now,) Regina reaches out and slaps Emma lightly on the cheek. "Emma? Are you alright?" 

Emma's eyes, previously crunched shut, pop open and she gasps, causing Regina to rock up and down slightly. Then, taking one look at the mayor peering down at her, she quickly snaps her eyelids shut again, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks. (Which is a good thing... right?)

It occurs to Regina that Emma's lain on the ice for quite a while, with Regina on top too, and maybe she really ought to get up so Emma doesn't get hypothermia. She's just started moving, deciding to bite the bullet and slide down on the ice after all, when Emma emits a shriek and Regina stops dead in her tracks.

"...Emma?"

"It's fine, I'm fine," Emma finally blurts out and Regina relaxes slightly. When Emma doesn't continue though, she feels inclined to ask for an explanation nonetheless. 

Emma is silent for a beat. Then: "Promise you won't use what I'm telling you now against me?" Her eyes are still closed, her lips blotchy with teeth marks and in this state, Regina would have promised her anything.

"Only if you don't tell people I sat on your stomach for solid five minutes," she replies in a tone so teasing it surprises herself.

Emma chuckles, Regina rocks, Emma gasps and falls silent. Regina cocks her head and lifts an eyebrow, telling Emma she should come to the point now. She gets a gauging glance in return, which moves her to lay a soothing hand on Emma's arm. 

"You know, you can tell me I am too heavy. I won't kill you. Not for that, at least," she says amusedly, though also a tad concerned about the blonde's strange behaviour.

Emma's eyes go wide. "No!" She exclaims, "You are fine. You're light. You weigh practically nothing, you can stay."

At this Regina's eyebrow arcs further and Emma blushes furiously (it's adorable) and mutters: "Lets just forget I said that, okay?"

"Okay," Regina concedes, pretending the words haven't been already stored away in the grand file named 'Emma Swan' in her brain, a file containing all the idiocies and stupid jokes the blonde ever made in Regina's presence. "But quit stalling."

"Well... I am really ticklish," Emma finally admits, quietly and hurriedly, "And you have chosen the exactly wrong place for your throne."

For a second Regina is too astonished to answer. Then, she tips her head back and laughs heartily. Of all the things Emma could have said, this is by far the most ridiculous (and endearing). 

"Ha ha," Emma huffs, sounding grumpy enough to make Regina at least try to reign in her laughter, "You promised."

"Only that I wouldn't take advantage of it," Regina reminds her, grinning gleefully, "Nothing about not being allowed to laugh."

On that, Emma frowns so deeply that it's a wonder the lines don't edge into her skin permanently. She resembles Henry more than ever, despite the negative expression looking carefree and happy. Something swells in Regina and before she can help herself, she has leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead.

It's only at the soft intake of breath beneath her, the sound too loud in the superior stillness of the lake, that she realizes what she's doing. Drawing back, suddenly self conscious, she feels her cheeks warm with colour. 

Her lips tingle from the impact with Emma's skin and she wets them absentmindedly while trying to avoid Emma's burning glance. The blonde's sweet scent still filling her nostrils, Regina finds it hard to focus on anything else.

"Uh," she makes, wanting to appear nonchalant but who's she kidding? "Let's skate?"

And Emma nods, sounding as exaggeratedly casual: "Sure."

*

It isn't until they have ended the lesson and are trudging down the snowy lane leading to Storybrooke that Regina decides that the awkward silence has to end. They haven't spoken more than necessary on the ice, Regina half focusing on her feet (she's slowly getting better at balancing her body), and half trying to ignore the burning sensations that seemed to emanate from all the points Emma was touching her. The sheriff herself was rather quiet as well, only occasionally pointing out small errors in Regina's posture. 

It's a bit unnerving, to be honest. Usually, Emma is all chatter whenever she is around (something Regina loves making a fuzz about while hiding a smile). Usually, Henry is around as well though, and both Regina and Emma seem to be thrown off by his absence, or rather, the presence of only the other woman. 

Enough of this tiptoeing around now. Taking a deep breath, Regina prepares to drum up a conversation - but Emma beats her to it.

"On a scale from one to now-I-can-die-in-peace, how would you rate your first skating lesson?"

"Excuse me?" Regina replies, and it's an account of how tired she is that her brain needs a moment to switch from the topic she was considering to talk about to the one Emma is proposing now.

"Oh you know," even in the dark Emma's smile is flashing as she nudges Regina's side. "Did you like it or not?"

"Is dying the dislike side or do you actually think that skating is the one thing that was missing to my earthly pleasure?" Regina smirks back, against her will resorting to the playful banter that has already almost escalated twice today. She should be more careful but the eyeroll she gets from Emma in response is so worth the risk.

"Would it kill you to show a bit enthusiasm?" Henry definitely inherited his whine from Emma.

"To stay in your line of death-related word choices: I'm meeting mine in a few minutes if you don't hurry up and we get inside soon. Let's hope Henry kept his promise and prepared a soup." 

Regina is lying. Despite the piercing degrees, her body is abuzz with adrenaline, an unfamiliar sensation that she's consequently wary of. The skating, though hard and even more difficult than she expected, has filled her with a joy she rarely felt these days - upon managing ten strokes at a stretch without stumbling she had to suppress the urge to cheer loudly. She is a beginner, barely able to hold her balance, and still skating momentarily made her feel like a champion. 

She doesn't tell Emma this. The feeling is yet too fresh, so frail that Regina worries she might break it by sharing it. She suspects that Emma already knows though, as the blonde is smiling quietly to herself, her arm brushing Regina's ever so slightly with each step. 

*

Henry has indeed kept his word; the delicious smell of leek soup welcomes Emma and Regina the moment they enter 108, Mifflin Street.

"Hallelujah," Emma sighs, for the first time expressing any sign of fatigue, or maybe this is just how she reacts to any kind of food. 

"I'm impressed you are considering to eat greens for once," Regina can't resist the jab at Emma's questionable eating habits.

"Honestly? At this point I'd probably accept your disgusting kale salad. I'm starving!"

A snort escapes Regina and Emma laughs.

"What? You're heavier than you look and I basically carried you over the ice for an hour!" Consciously or not, Emma extends her arms to take off Regina's coat and hang it up.

Torn between thanking her (or would that just be awkward?) and acting offended by her words, Regina creases her brow, turns - and finds Henry, dressed in apron, staring at her.

His mouth is hanging slightly open, as if he was on the verge of saying something, and his eyes are fixed on Regina's face, which promptly flushes with colour. She's all too aware of the bag with skates standing in the hallway just behind her and although Henry's gaze is not a tad accusing, guilt still clumps heavily in her stomach. 

There's a rustle behind her, then Emma's warm breath reaches her throat, telling her that the blonde must have stepped closer. Immediately Henry's eyes narrow down on the inches between them and a grin spreads on his face. 

"Wait, you guys were skating?" His adolescent voice doubles over twice in this sentence alone, a sign Regina recognizes as either excitement or disbelief. Possibly both.

"Yes - ," she wants to add an explanation but Henry's attention is on Emma now, he's bouncing lightly on his feet.

"You actually got Mom to skate?" 

"Well, yes, but - ," Emma tries to argue but there's no stopping Henry at this point. Delight shows all over his face, the beginnings of a self-satisfied smirk are tugging at the corners of his mouth and the tone range of his voice has reached its maximum.

"Do you mind me taking my soup up my room? There's some homework I still need to do."

Before any of them can answer, he has already skipped away to the kitchen again, actually humming to himself. Regina and Emma exchange a look. (Emma still stands really close to her and the scent of her perfume reminds Regina of what happened at the lake today. She takes a step away before she can do anything stupid.)

"Did this just happen?" Emma whispers, her eyes are extra-wide and Regina has to suppress a laugh. Instead she frowns.

"He told me he was done with his homework. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone to the lake." She clearly remembers having that conversation with Henry. A brief worry about her son's unusual behaviour washes over her (they also have an eat-at-the-table rule which he seems to have forgotten about but she's feeling indulgent today). But then Henry emerges from the kitchen, throwing her a blinding smile and a thumbs-up and she shrugs it off. 

"Anyways, hurry up now. The soup is getting cold," she says crisply, storing her skates in her room with a flick of her fingers before walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. 

"He was lying," Emma whispers when they finally sit at the table, each curling their hands around a giant bowl of steaming leek soup. "He didn't have homework to do."

Regina looks up in surprise. "How do you know? Why else would he eat on his room?" Henry is really not making sense these days.

"Superpower, remember?" Emma flashes her a wry smile. "As for the latter - I don't know, I was hoping you could help me with that? Any secret operation he is working on?"

"Just Operation Mongoose, which we've effectively lain on ice at the moment," Regina replies, wrecking her brain for another explanation for Henry's strange urge to stay on his room. Emma snortles, startling her out of her thoughts. 

"What?"

"Oh, just your choice of words. 'Lain on ice' sounds literal." She grins widely at Regina, who can't help but lift the corner of her lips in return.

"You are an idiot," she tells Emma fondly (and no, she's not as lost in the green ponds of the blonde's eyes as to forget about Henry. She's just... allowing herself to enjoy the beautiful colour for a second or so.)

"Then so are you for liking me," Emma shoots back, waggling her spoon at Regina. Her eyes are sparkling with mischief, her cheeks still rosy from the cold, and she might just be a little right but of course Regina can't tell her that.

"You wish," she replies instead, "Don't get tolerance mixed up with affection here."

"Right, because you totally tolerate someone by kissing them," Emma murmurs and immediately Regina flushes a beet-red. She masks it by quickly swallowing another spoonful of soup and promptly has to cough. So Emma does think of that kiss. (It wasn't even a kiss per say, more like a peck and only on the forehead so why does it replay over and over again in her head?)

Fortunately, Emma is too distracted glaring intently at her spoon to notice Regina's embarrassment. Her cheeks might have coloured a bit as well, though it's hard to tell in the light. Regina quickly averts her eyes before Emma can catch her staring and clears her throat.

"Anyways," she says awkwardly, pretending to ignore the sudden change in atmosphere. She intended to change the topic but Emma's looking at her now and Regina forgets what she planned to say at the hopeful expression in her eyes. Is there anything Emma wants to hear from her? Or is this just general expectation? Why was it so easy to read other people but so hard to figure out Emma?

"The soup is quite nice," she hears herself say and immediately cringes inwardly at her own randomness. Emma's face falls for a split second before she plasters on a smile and nods.

"You taught Henry well I guess," she replies, visibly distancing herself from the brunette. Disappointment floods Regina and before she can stop it, she has reached for Emma's hand on the table. Emma freezes. 

"Regina?" She prompts almost shyly when Regina doesn't say anything for a moment. Hope is once again blooming all across her face, Snow White's daughter after all. Regina takes a deep breath. She knows what to say now.

"Thank you." Her voice is hoarse all of a sudden and Emma tilts her head, ununderstanding but willing to listen.

"Thank you for doing this with me. Skating, your patience... You really helped me today." Regina swallows, she is almost nervous enough to bite her lip (which just doesn't happen). It's not that she expects a sneer but she is still relieved to see a smile spread on Emma's lips. Slender fingers squeeze hers.

"And...?" Emma says after a while, smile transforming to a grin as she looks at Regina expectantly.

"And what?" Regina asks, although she already has a notion what Emma wants to hear.

"And how did you feel about the skating?" Emma prods, smirking openly now. Of course she would have to push Regina there.

The brunette frowns, narrows her eyes at Emma, who only rises her eyebrows back. 

"Fine," Regina finally relents, though grudgingly. "And I enjoyed the skating. Happy now?"

"I knew it!" Emma bumps her fist on the table in delight and Regina can barely refrain from rolling her eyes.

"Thank you Miss Swan, for this blatant proof that you are actually five years old," she murmurs, half to herself, but of course Emma hears her.

"Naw Regina, don't go back to Miss Swan again!" She pouts, looking kissable enough that Regina has to turn away again. Emma, of course, misunderstands the gesture completely.

"Oh come on! See, I'm sorry for mocking you, okay? I'm sorry!" She tugs at Regina's hand, which the brunette notices only now is still entwined with Emma's. A tingle passes through her at the realization and as much as the situation calls for her to let go of Emma's hand dramatically, she just can't bring herself to do it. Not when Emma is rubbing her thumb now, trying to get her attention. Regina looks up.

All humour is gone from Emma's gaze, she smiles openly and warmly at Regina, effectively making her heart miss a beat. 

"I mean it Regina," she says lowly, intently, "Sorry for mocking you. You did amazing today. You can be proud of yourself."

What are you doing to me, Emma Swan, Regina thinks while her heart swells with warmth and affection and she can't help but smile back at the blonde. What are you doing to me?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all,  
> I'm SO sorry for not updating last week and late this week. There's a lot going on in my life right now and I don't always find the time to write. I'm afraid this means that irregular updates will be reoccurring. However I promise you that updates will definitely come and I will finish this story like planned. Please bear with me.
> 
> Now, without further ado, enjoy this chapter!

_What are you doing to me, Emma Swan, Regina thinks while her heart swells with warmth and affection and she can't help but smile back at the blonde, What are you doing to me?_

*

"Why don't you just magically give yourself ice skating skills?" Emma asks lightly the next day, one hand beneath Regina's left arm, "And Henry too, for that matter."

The three of them are at the lake again. Henry mostly skates on his own now, leaving Emma to help Regina. Although the beginning has been awkward, with Henry watching and all, Regina found her way back in fairly easily and she now hobbles over the ice just like yesterday, Emma's arm hanging only loosely around her hips. Henry has smirked at that, probably because he's never needed as much support. He's a natural apparently, and while the thought fills Regina with pride, it also makes her slightly jealous. Then again, having Emma's undivided attention is kind of nice too, she supposes.

"Because that would be cheating," Regina now mutters a response, all the while furiously trying to keep her balance without leaning too much on Emma. "I refuse to cheat."

"Now I know where Henry got his righteousness from," Emma laughs. She's in a contagiously good mood as always. "He never uses any tricks in board games, which is why I usually win."

Regina snorts but trips at the same time and wags her arms quite ungracefully until Emma stabilizes her by hugging her tightly to her side.

"Remind me to never play with you," Regina grumbles (and her cheeks are red of the cold, not because she's blushing), "I dislike losing, even in a rigged game."

"In my life, playing fair was a luxury I couldn't afford," Emma retorts, "It was dirty tricks or nothing and I made my choice."

It is not even said in an accusing manner, but the matter of factness in Emma's voice still gets to Regina. Behind the blonde's cheerfulness it's all too easy to forget that Emma's had a tough life too. In some ways harder than Regina's.

"I'm sorry," she says after a moment, "I did not think..."

"Eh, it's fine," Emma shrugs it off but she gives Regina a warm smile and tugs her closer, "At least this way I can actually force Henry to do the dishes from time to time."

Regina rolls her eyes, though the flutter in her chest that comes from the closeness becomes increasingly hard to ignore. "So that is your trick. I was wondering how you managed."

"Because I'm such a softie or what?" Emma says wryly, though laughter is already laced through her voice, "Careful now with your accusations."

"No, because you're so bad at washing up when you are at my place. I was afraid you just lived from takeaway boxes at your's," Regina retorts teasingly.

Emma feigns to be offended but her wide grin gives her away. 

"Oh please, I'm not even allowed to step into Her Majesty's sacred kitchen. Am I supposed to wash up in the bathtub?"

Regina bursts into laughter, she can't help it. There's a newfound lightness in her, a bubbly feeling she gets every time Emma is around, that makes it so much easier to release the laughter she used to store away before. Emma just has to look at her, eyes twinkling and dimples flashing and the surge of affection that sweeps through Regina nearly knocks her off her feet.

Their moment (or whatever they are having) is interrupted by Henry passing them in a series of rather elegant strokes, then skidding to a stop a few steps away. Snow decorates his left side, telling Regina he fell recently, but his eyes are shining and his lips form an Emma-like grin.

"Hey Mom," he calls out, "How about a race?" 

Regina blinks, she's almost about to start laughing again. The thought that she'd be able to firstly, gain a certain speed, secondly, don't fall without Emma's support, and thirdly, stand any chance against Henry in a challenge like his, is absurd. She's about to tell him just that, in kinder words of course, when suddenly there's Emma's mouth against her ear, startling her almost more than Henry's offer.

She whispers only one word: "Accept."

Regina hesitates. 

"Are you out of your mind?" She hisses back, fully aware of Henry watching them closely from afar. 

"Trust me," Emma hums, her lips brushing against Regina's earlobe, setting her body on fire. Not helpful.

Barely suppressing a sigh, Regina nods. 

"Okay," she murmurs, more to herself than to Emma, "I'd better not regretted this." Loud she says: "Sure, why not?" and hopes she sounds more confident than she feels.

Henry does look a bit surprised but he catches himself quickly. 

"Really? That's cool Mom!", he exclaims, his voice cracking with excitement. He looks so delighted and Regina's heart warms; so what if she fails spectacularly, accepting the race has already been a success.

A moment later though, while Henry is planning the conditions, sprint distance, rules and alike, doubts arise. She just said yes to a skating challenge, on her second day on the ice. And yes, she might just race her own son, but her pride forbids her to be resoundingly defeated. Also, she is still painfully afraid of falling, which won't be avoidable if she's to skate without Emma.

Speaking of, the blonde is still standing uncomfortably (irresistibly) close to Regina, chuckling at Henry's enthusiasm. She looks perfectly at ease, as if she didn't just sign Regina's ultimate doom on the ice.

"Emma," she hisses, because Henry is facing away from them, making his way across the lake to mark the distance with his gloves. "Emma, what do I do?"

"Just stay calm and keep your skates parallel, I'll take care of the rest," comes the reply. It's probably meant to be soothing but Regina made herself mayor for a reason, this being the need to feel in control.

However, Henry is returning, effectively blocking further conversation. Except Emma leans close once more.

"Oh, and don't freak out please," she whispers, which, again, is not helping at all. 

Theres nothing to be done about it now though, so Regina is forced to take a deep breath and follow Emma's meagre instructions even though they seem idiotic to her. She plants her feet to the ground, shuffling until she's sure her skids are two perfectly parallel lines. Henry takes up his station beside her, his right foot angled sideways. It's a trick Regina told him about from the videos she's watched; the v-position allows him to gain speed more easily and right from the beginning on. She's tempted to adjust her own feet accordingly but refrains. Emma asked her to trust her, she did, now she has to go with it.

"Ma, you count down," Henry orders, "And you're also responsible for the goal, so you have to skate over there quickly after we started, okay?"

"Sure thing kid," Emma replies and if Regina didn't know better she'd say the blonde is fighting to hold back her laughter. "Are you two ready?"

"Yes!" Henry exclaims, making Regina smile despite the nauseous feeling rising in her belly. 

"Regina?"

"Of course." Not at all. What is she to do when Emma says go? Just stand there and don't freak out? 

Before she can botch even this, Emma is already counting, shrieking "Go!" loud enough for Henry to stumble over his very first stroke. Not so Regina, because she isn't even moving. She stands, in parallel position, waiting for Emma's grand plan to happen. Too late comes the realization that all this might be another of the sheriff's pranks, that this could be payback for the snowball scenario.

But then, suddenly, hands grip Regina's waist, holding her firmly in place as Emma bores her own skates into the ice, and before Regina's aware of what's happening, she's flying over the lake. Emma speeds up, pushing her faster and faster still, and Regina wants to scream with shock and delight alike but her lips seem to be locked, no sound coming out. Within milliseconds they overtake Henry and still Emma doesn't slow down. Their son's complaints grow faint quickly in the airstream.

As the first rush of surprise and exhilaration dies down, Regina suddenly becomes very aware of Emma's fingers sprawling on her hips. Though separated by multiple layers of clothes, she can clearly feel the pressure from each digit against her skin, eight in her anterior lumber region, two digging into her upper buttocks. She almost chokes, heat starting to spread from the touches, distracting her from skating. The effects are immediate; her feet, once out of the parallel position, refuse to be set straight again, her legs start to wobble, she begins to stumble. Emma curses softly behind her, struggling to keep their course despite Regina's unbalance, but she's quickly forced to check her speed. They slow down, then come to a stop, mere metres away from the glove marking the finishing line. 

Emma lets go, (Regina furiously trying to quench the disappointment welling up in her at the loss of her touch), leaving Regina to stand on her own.

"Enough cheating. Now it's up to you to win fair and square," she smirks, skating backwards to the glove. "I am the impartial referee."

Regina rolls her eyes but grins in spite of herself, her heart still racing from the rapid sprint (and further happenings). She casts a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing Henry advance from a bit away. He's faster than she would have thought, and she actually has to hurry to make it to Emma before him. 

"And congratulations to our winner, Lady Regina Mills," Emma announces her victory with a wide smile, completely unperturbed by Henry's scowl. "Today's price is to treat us all to a hot cocoa at Granny's, we deserve it!"

It's Regina's turn to protest, if only weakly, as Henry shakes his head in laughter and Emma bumps her fist in the air. They are idiots the two of them, but they're her idiots.

*


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Thin Ice is slowly but surely coming to an end. I'll need one or two more chapters to wrap things up but since spring is coming and our two ladies are well on their way into love, it's time to end their story. Or, the written part anyway, you're welcome to dream up any kind of continuation of course :D!  
> So here it comes, the next-to-last chapter, enjoy!

_"Today's price is to treat us all to a hot cocoa at Granny's, we deserve it!"_

*

The diner is crowded this time of the day, all kinds of people grabbing an afternoon snack before they go back to work. Granny herself is working the counter, while Ruby weaves through the tables with tablets balanced on her hand, taking up orders as she goes. 

It's exactly the kind of crowded fuss Regina usually avoids, and yet here she is, swanning in after Emma and Henry and closing the door. A wave of warmth hits her almost immediately, the heaters must be turned up to their highest level to provide a cosy atmosphere. Normally she'd complain, but then again, normally she doesn't come from a freezing ice skating session. She settles for a neutral grumble instead, peels the gloves off her fingers and hands them over to Emma, who stands there, waiting to take Regina's coat too.

"Where do those good manners come from?" Regina whispers with a chuckle, "And where were they earlier?"

"Eh," Emma shrugs but grins, "Figured I could be nice, since you're paying for my drink and all." And she winks at Regina's frown.

"Ems!" Ruby suddenly materializes next to them, eyeing Regina curiously while pulling Emma in a tight hug. "You haven't paid me a visit in ages, how are you doing?"

"Uh," Emma chuckles nervously, her eyes straying to Regina's as she returns the embrace. They have agreed not to talk about the skating lessons in public, at least not until Regina feels ready for it. "I was busy elsewhere, a lot of... stuff came up..." Her voice trails off, she apparently has problems lying to her friend.

"Miss Swan's duties changed a bit lately," Regina steps in, assuming her most authorative tone, "She cannot afford as much time off."

"I see," Ruby drawls, shooting Emma a look that practically screams 'we need to talk later'. "In this case I don't want to waste your time any longer. Back there are free booths, I'll come for orders in a sec." With another speculative glance at them both, she's gone. 

Henry snorts. "Mom, you do realize how ambiguous your words were, right?" 

Emma clears her throat. Regina purses her lips, avoiding to look at the blonde. Her heart is thundering with Henry's implication and she's very sure that the heat of the diner isn't solely responsible for her warming cheeks. Neither she nor Emma says a word.

"You two are hopeless," declares Henry, then stalks off to get them a table. 

*

Just as promised, Ruby approaches their booth soon after they've settled in. Regina sits with her back to the wall, overlooking the diner, while Henry occupies the entire bench opposite her, which left Emma with no choice but to slide in beside Regina. Their thighs don't exactly touch, but the distance is small enough for Regina to feel the heat radiated off Emma, or maybe it's just her own leg warming in the stuffy atmosphere. Anyway, it serves to make her feel giddy and restless and from the looks of it, Emma experiences the same, as she's fidgeting with a serviette, rapidly folding and unfolding it in meaningless patterns. It is slightly adorable, the way she bites her lower lip, and Regina might just gather the courage to tell her (hidden behind a scoff of course, in a you're-such-a-child sort of manner), if it wasn't for Henry observing her very closely.

A smirk is playing over the boy's lips, a smirk that vanishes and turns into an innocent smile as soon as Regina narrows her eyes to give him a scrutinizing look. It's all very unnerving and Regina is glad for the disruption Ruby provides.

"What can I get the three of you?" 

"Two hot chocolates, one coffee," Regina orders, ignoring the accessing look the waitress is giving them. This is just a family outing after all, nothing to make a fuss about, right? Certainly nothing to grin so delightedly about, though Ruby apparently disagrees.

"Cocoa, coffee, coming right up," Ruby chirps and then, because she obviously cannot keep from prying, she adds: "Is there a special occasion for this?"

"Just get our stuff, Rubes!", Emma groans, her cheeks flushing a delicious pink. 

Ruby cackles but leaves obediently. As soon as she's out of earshot, Emma turns to Regina:

"Why are we doing this again?"

Regina rises an eyebrow. "It was you who insisted on coming here if I remember correctly."

"Well, yes, but... you do realize everyone seems to think we're dating?"

"Aren't you?" Henry puts in, very unhelpfully since Regina's heart is already racing from hearing that word out of Emma Swan's mouth.

"No!", she still protests, in unison with Emma and then they're talking over each other, more and more eager to prove the strictly platonic matter of their relationship.

"This is more like a series of meetings - "

"A business arrangement - "

"We just hang out - "

"You know that we're just - "

"Friends," they both conclude and Regina's cheeks are flushed, her palms sweaty and her brain very much not able to cope with the reasons for her sudden disappointment. 

"Friends," she still repeats firmly and looks at Emma although her heart clenches at the way those emerald eyes bore into hers.

"Friends my ass," Henry says from the other side of the table, interrupting the intense staring match Regina suddenly finds herself in, both women gradually losing themselves in the eyes of the other.

"Language, dear," Regina reprimands automatically as she snaps out of it, but her mind is so occupied with the way Emma's gaze seems to linger on her face that it probably comes out too soft for Henry to actually hear her. 

Emma coughs slightly, the sound cutting through the sudden silence, and Regina jumps at the opportunity to change topics.

"It was a good idea to come here," she says the first thing that comes to her mind, "Saving us all from freezing to death."

"Regina Mills, did you just admit I did something right?" Emma asks, relief clear in her voice. Regina wonders whether it's about the unexpected compliment or the new course of conversation that leads safely away from further embarrassment.

"Don't get used to it," she retorts and Emma laughs a bit, and then the ban is broken as they fall back into their playful banter.

Until Ruby comes with their orders and a "little something on the house" which turns out to be a stack of waffles in heart form.

"Is there anything you want to tell us, Miss Lucas?" Regina tries to save the situation, while Emma suffers a whole new coughing fit.

However, "No, but I'm sure you do," is what Ruby shoots back with a wolfish grin and Regina decides it's smarter to admit defeat before Emma becomes too flustered to uphold their little disguise. Or worse, decides to end their skating lessons altogether.

However, the second Emma recovers from her coughing, which might have been real after all and not a way to cover up embarrassment as Regina previously assumed, she lights up like only food would ever cause her to.

"Waffles!" She exclaims with the joy of a child, and immediately reaches for the steaming pile. 

"Oh for goodness' sake, will you at least use a fork?" Regina snaps out, sounding a bit more irritated than she intended to. (Which has nothing to do with her disappointment about Emma's indifference whatsoever.)

"Geez, Regina," Emma holds up her hand in surrender and even Henry raises his brows at her. "I'm sorry if my eating habits offend you." But she does reach for the cutlery bowl.

Regina, regretting her outburst already, chooses to reply by shrugging and rolling her eyes. "I just don't want you complaining about sticky fingerprints on your phone screen again."

Emma eyes her closely from the side for a moment, her gaze scrutinizing enough that Regina feels her cheeks heat up.

"That's... considerate, I guess?" She finally says and, before Regina can call her out on the sarcasm, adds: "Want a bite too?" 

Which of course forces Regina to answer that question first:

"Do I look like I would appreciate this sickly sweet mush they call waffles?"

Emma laughs: "Well, you do stare at them with quite some vigour."

Which is true, but only because Regina wants to avoid Ruby's intense gaze, directed at them from across the room, where she's taking orders. And Archie, who entered the diner some minutes ago and is now watching them surreptitiously. So does the family three tables away, and the couple behind them. Everyone's eyes seem to be on them today, and while Emma is too distracted by the waffles, Regina is all too aware of the attention they're getting. There will be rumours, that much is clear. She shoots everyone a pointed glare, then turns to look away decidedly.

"Eat up now, so we can leave," she murmurs, taking a big clunk of coffee. "It's getting late and I have to prepare dinner, provided you," she looks at Henry," still have enough appetite left after those waffles.

"Maybe he would if you just helped us eat them," Emma puts in before Henry can reply, "They'd also help against your snappy mood I'm sure."

"I'm not snappy," Regina snaps, causing Emma to laugh while Henry ducks his head.

"Of course not," Emma rolls her eyes, dipping her waffle into a puddle of syrup. She swallows and moans exaggeratedly. "Hea-ven-ly! And you are sure you don't want to taste?"

"Fine." Regina's defeat has very little to do with the, admittedly delicious, smell that the waffles exude, but rather with how rigid her body went at Emma's sigh and her desperate attempt to quench the sudden desire flooding her. And what's better than sickly sweet mush? She all but grabs a fork and splits off a neat bite of dough.

The waffles are divine. Fluffy enough to practically disintegrate on Regina's tongue and just the right amount of sweet to appeal to her chocolate-spoilt taste buds. Regina suppresses a sigh of her own and avoids Emma's expectant eyes.

"A bit too much vanilla, don't you think?" 

Emma's shove comes so unexpectedly that Regina almost drops her fork.

"Excuse me?" She splutters, staring disbelievingly at the blonde, "What was that for?"

Emma grins right back at her, completely unperturbed by the scowl that could previously scare off entire armies. Regina must really have lost her edge. 

"You lied. Secret superpower, remember? It's telling me that you totally dig the waffles."

"I don't 'dig' anything."

"Ping, there it went off again."

"Miss Swan, don't you dare be cheeky with me."

"Or what?"

"Whoa Moms," Henry's voice suddenly interrupts the quickly escalating words fight. Regina, upon realizing that her nose almost touches Emma's, jerks back and averts her gaze. Her heart is racing and her skin prickling and she just can't unsee the flash of dark excitement in Emma's eyes at her last words. They held both dare and promise and the more Regina thinks about them, the harder it gets to suppress the urge to grab Emma and...

But she can't do that of course. In fact, it's very inappropriate and virtually disturbing to even indulge in those kinds of fantasies about her friend. Her very platonic friend, who she just happens to have coffee with. At the most popular diner in town. With lots of people watching them.

Taking a deep breath and shortly after a gulp of coffee, Regina occupies herself with inspecting her cuticles until her heart rate has slowed enough for her to dare lifting her gaze. Henry has flushed a scarlet red and shovels waffles down at high speed. Emma is gone, Regina vaguely remembers a mumbled "bathroom" so that's probably where. Ruby passes their table and whistles loudly. Regina very much wants to die.

*

They leave the diner as soon as Emma has returned from the bathroom and eaten up her share of the waffles. Regina insists on walking Emma home and Henry tags along, filling the awkward silence with meaningless chatter.

"We still have an appointment tomorrow, right?" Emma's voice cuts through the cold winter air when they reach the loft. It's probably aimed to sound casual but she still can't look Regina in the eyes.

"Sure," Regina replies, "If your sore muscles haven't killed you yet?" It's meant to be a joke but Regina notices herself that it is delivered way too poorly to pass for banter. Emma's lips still lift in a smile.

"You wish." And there it is again, the flirty undertone that is gradually driving Regina crazy. Does Emma even notice what she's doing? Or is it all by accident, insignificant, a product of Regina's imagination? And why would that bother her so much.

"See you tomorrow then," she says quickly before her thoughts can get the best of her. She turns away, not waiting for Emma to answer. Henry throws her a look but keeps quiet. Even he seems to understand that Regina has some badly needed soul-searching to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,   
> As announced, this is the last chapter of Thin Ice. Wow, I feel a bit sad. I'm gonna miss those two. Haha, kidding, I already have several other stories up my sleeve that I can't wait to share with you!   
> Anyways, I'm drifting off... so this chapter! It contains an extra share of fluff, just for you. So, enjoy!

_Regina has some badly needed soul-searching to do._

*

Regina yawns as she slumps ever so slightly in her office chair. One largely sleepless night after their outing at the diner, she still hasn't figured out what to do about the situation with Emma. So maybe she does feel a deeper attraction to the blonde (except it's more than just attraction really; in her tired state she finds herself picturing a whole life with Emma Swan, living together in the mansion, being not only co-parents to Henry but _family_ , and her heart is aching a bit for the idea alone). And maybe her world does shine up a little when Emma smiles, and maybe she is kind of addicted to Emma holding her around the waist, not just on the ice but generally, on a casual stroll though town, or on the couch in the evenings, yes, maybe Regina longs for that. Maybe this image is worth acting on her feelings. Or well, consciously pursuing Emma, instead of blundering into awkward tension all the time.

But. There is so much at stake. What she has with Emma now, this relationship, that started out on hate and spite and then slowly blossomed into respect and finally trust, friendship even, it is precious to Regina. Losing it is not an option.

Then again, she has reason to believe that Emma, as inconceivable as it might seem, reciprocates at least part of her feelings. Sometimes Regina catches her, staring, smiling... admiring? There are moments, when their eyes lock, when the distance between them vanishes, when Emma's eyes flicker down to her lips and her cheeks flush with red, that Regina likes to imagine she could kiss her, without receiving a slap in the face for it.

Regina sighs and pushes her roll chair away from the desk. She has enough extra hours to allow her to leave early this once, knowing that in her condition she wouldn't get much work done anyways. Besides, Henry told her he'd finish school by half past twelve today as one of his teachers was ill, and if she hurries she can get home in time to have lunch with him.

Yes, Regina nods to herself, that she will do. To take her mind off other, blonder, matters. With a resolution she hasn't felt all morning, she stands up, quickly gathers her purse and coat, and leaves town hall.

Outside, a soft wind is blowing, humid and carrying the promise of snow. It presents a welcome change to the dry climate that's been capturing Storybrooke the past few weeks and Regina feels her spirits brighten as she strolls down Main Street. It will be a good day for skating, with even the sun peeking through holes in the thick cloud cover at intervals.

Regina's timing is immaculate; the moment she's put on the stove to heat up the leftover soup from two days ago, the key turns in the lock and Henry enters the mansion.

"Mom?" The boy calls out, apparently surprised about the door not being locked.

"In the kitchen," Regina answers, "I'm preparing lunch, are you hungry?"

Henry's smiling face appears in the doorway, "What a question", and he presses a kiss to Regina's offered cheek. "How come you're home already?"

"Oh," Regina tries to wave it off (judging from the look on Henry's face she's failing miserably). "Just too much on my mind to keep my focus on work."

Though she turns away to stir the soup, she can still feel Henry's burning gaze on her when he asks: "This is about Emma, right?"

'When did you become so perceptive?' Regina wants to ask but Henry shushes her immediately: "Uh uh Mum, now we talk about you, not me." 

"Fine," she sighs, because what's the point in denying it anymore, when even her son has taken notice of her feelings towards Emma. Then again, reflecting on those past days, maybe Henry had caught on earliest of them all... At this point, Regina's sleep-deprived brain is positively buzzing.

"You like her, right?" Henry prompts softly when she hasn't spoken for several minutes. 

"I do," Regina affirms in a whisper that is almost quenched by the heavy silence that has spread in the kitchen. "A lot." 

And it's upon admitting those words, braving her fear, that the storm of panic inside her ceases. She takes a deep breath, the first she has allowed herself today and nods to herself.

"I should probably talk to her," she says and though her heart is beating wildly at the prospect, it's of a good kind of nervous.

"You probably should," Henry agrees, a wide smile on his lips. Regina offers him a cautious one of her own when he adds: "I tell you what. Grace invited me to go skating at the rink today anyways, and thanks to you I feel confident enough to accept. This provides Ma and you with plenty of alone time to figure out your feelings. And what is more romantic a setting than a small lake surrounded by the woods?"

"Don't forget the freezing temperatures in your excessive praise," Regina mutters, but her cheeks have already flushed pink at the idea of spending a whole afternoon alone with Emma. And Henry is right, the lake does score in terms of elegancy. 

Then her brain catches on and her brow furrows. "Who is Grace though?"

At which it is Henry's turn to blush.

*

Regina picks Emma up this time.

"To avoid your persistent lateness," she tells the sheriff upon sauntering into her office. "Also, you may finish up early, the mayor is feeling generous today."

Emma stares at her open-mouthedly but catches herself in time before Regina has to snap at her to hurry. Obediently, she gathers her things, all the while stealing not-so-subtle glances at Regina, who in her turn is trying hard to cover up her own racing heart by looking anywhere but at Emma. Being near her brings back the doubts, the fear, the hesitation, and she's so lost in her mind that she doesn't hear Emma's question at first.

"Regina!" The blonde has to nudge her (the touch tingling through Regina's body like fire), "I asked you whether Henry is coming directly to the lake."

"He's at the rink," Regina replies absentmindedly, preoccupied with keeping her fingers to wander to the spot where Emma touched her. Get a grip, she tells herself, but tiredness has apparently worn down her self control. She almost regrets facing Emma like that, but when green eyes find hers, concern swirling in their depths, the bolt it delivers to her heart is strong enough to remind her that she must resolve her feelings today. She must have certainty of Emma's feelings, be they existent or not. Just... not yet. Not when she can still enjoy a carefree afternoon at the lake.

"A girl asked him out," she tells Emma, hoping this will distract her from Regina's obvious turbulent state. It does.

"Really?" Emma explains in delight, turning away from her for the moment Regina needs to regain her cool.

"Yes really," she then states dryly, still not as amused about the matter as Emma seems to be. "She's Jefferson's daughter from what I gather."

"So? She's a sweet girl, I'm sure." Emma chuckles, then sighs a bit wistfully. "He grows up so fast, doesn't he?"

"Tell me about it," Regina nods, "It seems like only yesterday that I sang him a nursery rhyme before sleep."

"The Evil Queen, singing Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, who would have thought it." Though a smirk is playing on Emma's lips, her eyes shine tenderly and she actually reaches for Regina hand, squeezing it. "Come on," she says softly, "Let's go then."

*

Regina makes great progress on the ice. Sadly, with being able to skate large distances without much aid, comes the increasing lack of Emma's arms around her. Maybe it's for the better, Regina tries to tell herself (with moderate success). At least she can focus on her feet then, instead of worrying about revealing her feelings before she feels ready.

Emma in the meanwhile swirls around her, more often than not getting in Regina's way with her endless shenanigans.

"Look," she's presently shrieking from some point behind Regina, "I'm doing the dying swan."

"I do hope you don't mean literally," Regina shouts back, struggling to skate a bend. "I don't want to be the one to break those news to your parents." Finally, she's turned around sufficiently to dare lifting her gaze from the ice. A mistake: Emma looks so utterly ridiculous in her bent posture, one leg stretched rigidly behind her, breast proudly trust forward, an expression of exaggerated anguish on her face - Regina can't help laughing out loud. This, combined with the shudder that runs down her spine when her treacherous eyes simultaneously take in Emma's lean body in too tight jeans, sends her stumbling immediately.

"Damn it," Regina swears under her breath while wagging her arms ungracefully. She didn't think Emma would hear her, but "Language dear!" comes the triumphant comment, before two arms wrap around her from behind. "I've got you."

More than you'd think, Regina thinks to herself as she feels her body react to the embrace. Out loud she says: "You'd better. It's your fault I tripped in the first place."

Emma's chuckle vibrates through them both and her cheek is far too close to Regina's when she all but whispers. "Would you believe me if I said that wasn't my intention?"

And Regina struggles to answer. This has never happened before, but she's actually too torn between leaning into the embrace and fleeing from it, that the only reply she can form is a breathed "Emma".

For some reason (and Regina is thanking her lucky star for it), Emma misunderstands her completely.

"You're right, you're right," she laughs, finally removing her arms, "I did plan for you to slip. What can I say, I just like to catch you?"

Regina, just beginning to relax, freezes again. 

"Excuse me?" Her voice sounds very faint, but fortunately Emma's too caught up in her own scenario to notice.

"Like, why are you learning so quickly?" she laments. "Henry too. Where did the good old days go, when you would still clutch to me tightly? I liked that..."

"What?" Regina says and Emma stops dead in her tracks.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud," she mutters, her eyes wide. "Please pretend you didn't hear it."

"Hear what?" Regina replies, because she's actually not sure she understood correctly. Her heart is fluttering a bit in her chest and her knees feel weak. Is Emma implying what she thinks she is implying?

"I mean, you smell like crazily good," Emma murmurs and is Regina imagining the red tinge of her cheeks? She can't be sure in the falling dusk. What is she supposed to do now? Return the compliment? Make a witty remark and steer the conversation back towards harmless banter? Except she finds that she doesn't want to resume empty phrases and careless teasing. She wants more and she is sick of waiting for it.

Emma is still hovering before her, caught between watching and yet not watching, obviously nervous about what will happen. Regina is nervous too, she's still worried about Emma's reaction, and she is afraid she won't be able to properly express her feelings, but she's had enough of tiptoeing around Emma. Someone has to take the first step, or, skate the first stroke.

So she does. 

She manages to cover about half a metre before she slips. The nerves must have affected her more than she thought, because her legs simply give way beneath her and she falls hands first on the ice. 

Humiliation burns through her immediately, heats up her cheeks, neck, ears, everything, and for a second she's sure Emma will laugh. She knows she would, if she witnessed Emma pulling a ridiculous stunt like that. But the blonde stays silent. Too silent in fact.

Forcing herself to glance up, Regina's surprised to see Emma isn't even looking at her. Instead, her eyes are at the sky, one arm lifted in front of her, palm pointing upwards.

Cool wetness lands on Regina's cheeks as she turns her head to follow Emma's gaze and she is surprised to find that snow is falling thickly. Absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice that a thin layer of white is slowly but surely covering the lake and its visitors.

A particularly big flake settles on Regina's eyelashes, forcing her to blink. When she reopens her eyes, Emma has sunk down next to her on the ice, one hand feeling for Regina's. Regina takes it wordlessly, unconsciously interlacing their fingers as they both become spectators to the ballet of flakes. 

It's beautiful, Regina thinks, not daring to say the words out loud in fear they might disturb the peaceful silence that has settled over the lake, instead she just gently squeezes Emma's hand. 

The blonde shuffles a bit closer in return, her knee slightly nudging Regina's thigh and something awakes in Regina. Right there, right then, sitting on a frozen lake, in the middle of the night, holding Emma Swan's hand, legs and ice skates clumsily sprawled on the ground, getting covered in snow, she feels a hot unruly happiness surge through her, making it hard to breathe and even harder to stop smiling, despite the cold air hurting her teeth. Warmth spreads in her, letting her forget the icy underground, the annoying pain in her thighs, the worries and embarrassment she's felt before. Her heart is beating wildly and all she wants is for this moment to last forever. So she looks around and tries to memorize it all, every single aspect of the scenery. 

The feeling of the soft flakes on her skin, the deepness of the indigo night sky, Emma's fingers in hers. 

The way the blonde looks at the spectacle, her eyes wide with awe and soft on the edges, her lips slightly parted, her curls glistening with snow.

The absent expression as she turns towards Regina, the surprised smile that spreads on her face when she becomes aware of the brunette's attention on her, the delicate pink that flushes her cheeks as her eyes lock with Regina's.

The minuscule widening of her eyes when Regina finally dares moving closer, the tilting of her head when Regina pauses, determined to leave the last choice to her. 

The biting of her lower lip before closing the gap between them.

The inaudible sigh they both release, still mindful not to disturb the silence, when their lips meet in a first kiss.

The storm inside Regina, settling down at least.

(And, when they part after what feels like hours, the snowing having ceased almost completely, the way Emma smiles at her, all soft and warm and promising enough to let Regina forget her doubts about the blonde's feelings, before her tongue darts out to catch one of the last snowflakes.)


End file.
